Cosette
Cosette-eponine-azelma.jpg * ' Cosette''' is the main deuteragonist in the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. She is the illegitimate daughter of Fantine and Félix Tholomyès. Her birth name is Euphrasie ''but she is referred to throughout her life as "Cosette." As a small child, she is left with the Thénardiers and their children, who horribly abuse her while indulging their own young daughters, Éponine and Azelma. On Christmas of 1823, Cosette is adopted (and saved) by Jean Valjean. Later she grows into a beautiful young girl and marries Marius Pontmercy near the end of the story. She is also one of the few characters to have survived the entire course of the novel and musical. Novel: Cosette's Childhood in Montfermeil: When she is nearly three, Cosette's mother, Fantine, leaves her with the Thénardiers and gives them money to look after her. The two similarly-aged daughters of the Thénardiers, Éponine and Azelma play with Cosette at first upon their first meeting and are kind to her. Later, the sisters begin acting cruel towards her, following their parents' example. They tease her and, at times, ignore her completely. Monsieur and Madame Thénardier themselves mistreat Cosette, and force her to do all the work around the inn - sweeping the floors, scrubbing the tables, beating the rugs, etc. Cosette is forced to dress in rags and go about with no shoes even in the snow, and is regularly beaten. Meanwhile, Éponine and Azelma are spoiled and indulged by their parents and have many lovely toys and dresses; they play games all day. While Fantine is ill in the hospital, Jean Valjean (by this point going by Monsieur Madeleine) promises her to get and retrieve Cosette for her, but Fantine dies before she can see her beloved daughter again. However, Valjean is still determined to find and adopt Cosette, despite being pursued by Javert. On Christmas Eve of 1823, Madame Thénardier sends Cosette out into the woods to fetch a pail of water, and a reluctant Cosette obeys; she is terrified of the forest after dark. There, she is met by Valjean, who is startled to discover that she is the child he'd been looking for. He helps her and accompanies her back in the inn. He sees how Éponine and Azelma are unkind to her, when they go to their mother and point at Cosette for "stealing" their doll. After seeing this, he leaves the inn for a while to buy a brand new expensive doll that cost about 30 Francs - a princely sum. She names her doll Jasmine. Later that night, Cosette naively places her wooden shoe before the fireplace next to Éponine and Azelma's shoes in expectation of receiving something from Father Christmas, though she knows that Father Christmas always ignores her. Valjean anonymously places a gold Louis coin in her shoe. On Christmas Day, Valjean informs the Thénardiers that the real reason he is at the inn is because he wants to take Cosette with him. Mme. Thénardier immediately agrees to this, but M. Thénardier pretends to have adoration for Cosette and acts reluctant to give her up. Valjean then offers them 1,500 francs, settling all of Fantine's debts, and he and Cosette leave the inn. However, Thénardier tries to swindle more money out of Valjean by running after them and telling Valjean that he has changed his mind and how he does not want to give Cosette away. He informs Valjean that Cosette's mother had entrusted her to their care and that he cannot release Cosette to a stranger without a note from her mother. Valjean, agreeing with him, hands him a letter signed by Fantine. Thénardier then attempts to order Valjean to either return Cosette or pay a thousand crowns, but Valjean ignores him and leaves with Cosette. Life after the Thénardiers and Cosette's Rescue: Valjean takes Cosette directly to Paris. They lodge at Gorbeau House, and Valjean begins giving her a basic education. When Javert discovers Valjean's whereabouts, Valjean and Cosette are forced to escape. After climbing over a wall, they soon find themselves in the Petit-Picpus Convent. The gardener Fauchelevant, who was once rescued by Valjean in Montreuil-sur-Mer, recognizes "Monsieur Madeleine" and is eager to help him. Valjean poses as Fauchelevent's brother, assuming that name for Cosette and himself, and the two live peacefully in the convent for many years. Valjean works with Fauchelevent while Cosette is educated. Over time, she appears to have no recollection of her childhood before arriving at the convent. She leaves the convent at the age of thirteen for Paris. It is here Cosette receives her unofficial surname, Fauchelevent. Valjean buys a house in Rue Plumet and hires a maid, Toussaint: the old villa faces a huge and wild garden, where Cosette plays on her own and discovers nature, with Valjean's delight. Father and daughter start walking at Luxembourg Gardens, always in the same boulevard, avoiding people and the rest of the world. Relationship with Marius: At Luxembourg Gardens, Cosette notices a handsome but miserable young student, Marius Pontmercy: she likes him and, as time goes by, when they look at each other every day in the park, she falls in love with him without knowing him; Marius instead still finds her ugly and badly dressed and does not even think about her. Meanwhile, the girl finally begins flourishing and becomes as pretty as her mother, growing into an elegant and charming lady under Valjean's eyes, who is scared of losing his beloved child and dying alone. Even if she does not remember her childhood, Cosette brings the scars of Montfermeil anyway and develops a melancholic and pensive nature under her cheerful attitude. Now that Cosette is very beautiful and pleasant-looking, Marius changes his mind and grows fond of her, stalking them and sitting on the nearest bench at Luxembourg. When Valjean takes notice of Marius’ affections, he sees him as a coward for not confronting him and seeking approval to court her. He also suspects that he wants to take advantage of the girl's innocence. After Marius discovers their address, Valjean then takes Cosette away from the Luxembourg Gardens and moves to another house, in which he thought Marius was a hired spy by Javert. Marius spots Cosette again during a charitable visit she and Valjean make to the Thénardiers at Gorbeau House, beside his flat. He asks Éponine to find her new address for him, and she reluctantly agrees. After many weeks, Éponine finds their new home and takes him there. He idly watches Cosette for a few nights before approaching her. Cosette, on the other hand, does not understand her feelings for Marius, as her traumatic upbringing chez the Thénardiers and at the convent brought in her life no sense of love; she spends her days with Valjean in quietness and almost in contemplation. When Cosette and Marius finally meet again in Cosette's garden, they confess their love for each other and spend the rest of their lives together. Life after Valjean's Death and Cosette's Marriage to Marius: In February 16 of 1833, Marius and Cosette are married. The next morning, Valjean tells Marius of his criminal history. This leads Marius to believe Valjean is dangerous, and asks him to leave him and Cosette. Valjean wishes not to be permanently separated from Cosette, so Marius grants him a visit every evening. But slowly, he makes it clear that Valjean is not wanted in the house, so Valjean leaves and never comes back. When Marius finds out through Madame Thénardier that Valjean had saved him, Marius and Cosette go to Valjean, now on his deathbed. Valjean then shares the last minutes of his life with Marius and Cosette, while Cosette learns from Valjean about her past and her mother Fantine. Appearance: At thirteen-years-old, Cosette was described to be noble-looking and beautiful: a wealth of chestnut hair that was flecked with gold, a perfectly fair complexion with a rosy flush in the cheeks, a marble-like forehead, an exquisite mouth the smile of which was like sunshine, and deep blue eyes with long chestnut lashes. Her figure was statuesque, slender but voluptuous. Musical Act I Child *"Come to Me / Fantine's Death"(silent, 2012 film only) *"Castle on a Cloud" * "The Well Scene" * "The Bargain/The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery" * "Suddenly" (silent, 2012 film only) * "The Convent" (silent, 2012 film only) Adolescent * "The Robbery/Javert's Intervention" (silent) * "I Saw Him Once" (1985 cast only) * "Rue Plumet – In My Life" * "A Heart Full of Love" * "The Attack on Rue Plumet" * "One Day More" Act II * "Every Day" * "Suddenly (Reprise)" (2012 film only) * "Wedding Chorale" (silent) * "Valjean's Death" * "Finale" Trivia *"Cosette" in French means "little thing" while Euphrasie means "mirth." *Polish forms of her names are: "Kozeta" (Cosette) and "Eufrazja" (Euphrasie) *The original French version of ''the Lark is "l'Alouette". *Pretty Little Liars actress Janel Parrish portrayed Cosette as a child on Broadway. *Cosette is featured on Les Miserables media covers -- but only her younger version. The image is actually the 1930's actress, Marilyn Knowlden, who played Cosette in the 1935 release of the movie. *So far, Iroha Kumagai is the youngest actress to play the role of Cosette at 18 years old at the time of the reopening of the Les Miserables Japanese Tour in 2019. *Since 2006, Ellie Glynn is the youngest actress to play Little Cosette, from 5 days after her 7th birthday, on the West End. *Cosette is a protagonist in Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette. *Valjean has taught Cosette how to read and spell. *Once, Cosette told Marius that her name was actually 'Euphrasie' and that 'Cosette' was just a 'silly name they gave her when she was a child'. However, Marius thought 'Cosette' was nicer than 'Euphrasie', and still called her Cosette for the rest of the book. Gallery Musical Donna vivino young cosette.jpg|Donna Vivino, Original Broadway Cast 1987 TAC-Screencaps-Castle-on-a-Cloud-les-miserables-8034531-839-466.jpg|Hannah Chick, 10th ann. Maria.PNG|Maria Ziegler, London 1996 jennyponine.JPG|Diana Tan, Florida 1997 Images (7).jpg Bargain3nt.jpg Madisonmojarablittlecosette.png|Madison Mojarab, Vancouver 2008 Samaraclarkelittlecosette.JPG|Samara Clarke, UK 2009 Cosette-11.jpg|Mia Jenkins, 25th ann. Cosette-2.jpg Castle on a cloud.png|Isabelle Methven, London 2012 246ec030-7dfc-4101-b5c5-03465ccf07be 665x665.jpg|Maja Kwiatkowska, Warsaw Cosetterileycampbell.JPG|Riley Campbell, North Carolina 2014 Tumblr mvgekjmpFT1r3c88xo8 500.jpg|Mila VanWeert, US 1988 Tumblr mvgcubgwJ71r3c88xo2 400.jpg|Kristen Basic, US 1988 Les Miserables - 10th Anniversary Concert 1995 DVDRip 399 0001judy.jpg|Judy Kuhn, 10th ann. Kaitlinmohercosette.png|Kaitlin Moher, Vancouver 2008 Katie-Hall-as-Cosette-Gareth-Gates-as-Marius.jpg|Katie Hall, West End 2009 661157-12 katie hall.png|Katie Hall, 25th ann. LesmisLisa.jpg Hqdefaultcosmar.jpg Indeks.jpg Tumblr n3ez78dipE1rnqzobo1 1280.jpg Valjeancosetteonedaymore.JPG|Katie Hall, West End 2009 taliadelval.jpg|Talía del Val, Madrid 2010 Mariuscosettequeensmmeet.JPG|Katie Hall, West End 2010 CosetteSamanthaDorsey.jpg|Samantha Dorsey, West End 2012 Samanthahillcosettetorontocap.JPG|Samantha Hill, Toronto 2013 Broadwaylesmismariuscosette.PNG|Samantha Hill, Broadway 2014 Cosetteast.JPG Taliadevalcosettespain.JPG|Talìa deVal, Spain 2013 Los Miserables 08 - Cosette (Clara Verdier).jpg|Clara Verdier in the Mexican Cast of 2018 2012 Film ComeToMe-Cosette.jpg|Isabelle Allen (Little Cosette) during Come to Me (Fantine’s Death) Isabelleallencoac.PNG|Young Cosette during a Castle on a Cloud Cosettepail.png C2.jpg The Well Scene.png Tumblr mtpkp5Dg1J1sdjsjxo1 500.jpg Tumblr msomonxnqG1sdjsjxo2 500.jpg Tumblr mu0mnrYILW1qdrg17o2 1280.jpg Valjeanandcosettedoll.png Valjeanandcosetteparis.png|Young Cosette with Jean Valjean in the 2012 film Valjeanandcosettecarrying.png Tumblr mmk5qwMEwI1qcelxxo3 1280.png|Amanda Seyfried Tumblr mntt72ASui1qd12npo1 1280.jpg|Cosette during Everyday Images-1.jpeg|Cosette with Marius Pontmercy during Everyday Les-miserables-screenshot-cosette.jpg|Cosette during a Heart Full Of Love Tumblr mhczanxApA1rwahceo1 500.jpg|Cosette with Marius Pontmercy Tumblr mto15e7SZT1snnhu8o2 1280.jpg Tumblr mto15e7SZT1snnhu8o4 1280.jpg|Cosette during In my Life Tumblr mto15e7SZT1snnhu8o7 1280.png|Cosette during The Robbery Tumblr mtygdonBMN1sdjsjxo1 500.jpg|Cosette as she sees Marius after the Robbery Tumblr mto15e7SZT1snnhu8o1 1280.jpg|Cosette during Epilogue with Marius right after Valjean dies Tumblr mu0mnrYILW1qdrg17o4 1280.jpg|Cosette after In my Life, before A Heart Full Of Love Tumblr mzrrcuyamZ1r1rmzqo3 1280.png|Cosette during Wedding Chorale Tumblr n1commtb6s1rwbs3lo1 500.png|Cosette during the Epilogue 07503A0E-662E-43E1-8929-C317DF953041.jpeg|Amanda Seyfried as Cosette in the 2012 film C99CE56C-02E6-433D-8918-351DFEA194B3.jpeg|Isabelle Allen as young Cosette in the 2012 film Other films and Illustrations 200px-Ebcosette.jpg|Child Cosette in the novel Images234.jpg Cosette_and_catherine_painting.png|Painting of child Cosette The adult cosette sketch.png|Illustration from novel Cosette&valjean.jpg Cosette wedding illustration.png 5b9-1-darknessTH.jpg Lesmis1934youngcosette.PNG|Gaby Triquet, 1934 film Lesmis1934valjeansdeath.PNG|Josseline Gaël, 1934 film josseline-gaeline.jpg Marilynknowldencosetteinn.JPG|Marilyn Knowlden, 1935 Littlecosetteandvaljean1935.JPG rochellehudson.jpg|Rochelle Hudson, 1935 film nicolejamet.jpg|Nicole Jamet, 1972 miniseries FC28QgW.jpg|Valentie Bordelet, 1982 TV movie Mimi-Newman-Les-Miserables.3.jpg|Mimi Newman, 1998 film (child Cosette) vlcsnap-2013-01-03-10h24m59s110.JPG 512Les.Miserables.1998.BR.jpg imagescosette.jpg|Claire Danes, 1998 film LesMiserables1998-Promo1.jpg 36119.png Les-Miserables-Shoujo-Cosette-episode-4-screenshot-014.jpg|Shojo Cosette anime Leopoldineserrecosettesleep.PNG|Léopoldine Serre, 2000 miniseries Leopoldineserrelittlecosette2000miniseries.PNG Cosettevaljean2000miniseries.JPG|Virginie Ledoyen, 2000 miniseries Mariette2000.JPG Virginie-Ledoyen-Les-Miserables-E1E2-03_1_.jpg Youngcosette1980s.PNG Les-Miserables-Shoujo-Cosette-episode-2-screenshot-004.jpg 2018 mini series Category:Characters Category:Characters in the musical Category:Anime Characters Category:Cosette